Property of the Week: 103 Southpond Road in South Glastonbury

SALLY MARTINO

When the current owner of 103 Southpond Road in South Glastonbury bought the property five years ago, the house and yard needed a major dose of TLC.

Overgrown grass reached seven feet high in spots and the interior reflected the outdated styles of the 1980s when the home was built. “He bought a property in distress because he saw the potential of how magnificent the house could be,” says listing agent Amy Rio of Executive Real Estate in Glastonbury. A tour of the house proves that the owner’s vision has been realized.

While living in the home, the owner methodically renovated and updated every room in the structure which is now in pristine condition. New Anderson casement windows allow maximum sunlight to brighten each room, highlighting the gleaming hardwood floors, plush carpeting and a neutral color palette of cream, camel and buttercup.

A new roof caps the 4,800-square-foot residence whose exterior scores high marks for curb appeal. A semi-circular driveway, outlining a garden bed with a water fountain statue, leads to the main entrance and continues to the side of the house where the three-car garage is out of sight.

The overgrown lawn has been tamed, and new shrubs and bushes fill the sweeping beds. In the backyard, mature plantings provide privacy from neighboring yards. A white wood gazebo, perched on a gentle slope, offers a protected spot to relax.

Ground to roofline stonework frames the glass front door that, along with a bank of windows and a five-foot Palladian arched window, floods the two-story beamed foyer with light. An ivory travertine floor and a sweeping curved staircase create a pleasant first impression upon entering the house. The dining and living rooms, both lined in hardwood flooring, flank the foyer. Arched entrances to the sunny sunken living room echo the semicircular windows that top a wall of casements.

The chef’s kitchen features an island with a breakfast bar, two-temperature beer and wine cooler and a prep sink connected to a water filtering system. Granite in beige, brown and cream tones tops the counters and island, while the glass tile backsplash echoes the colors. Dark stained cherry cabinets offer a “garage” cabinet for storing countertop appliances and a lazy Susan cabinet to make the most of corner storage. Jenn-Air stainless steel appliances include a bottom freezer refrigerator, built-in wall oven and convection/microwave, and a six-burner gas cooktop with warming shelves and a griddle. The shiny stainless hood is ducted to the outside, while the sink is flush-mounted into the granite countertop.

An eat-in area connects the kitchen to the family room. Two sliding glass doors in the dining space offer views to the backyard and access to the deck. The focal point of the spacious family room is a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace with a raised black granite hearth.

The first floor offers roomy living spaces, including an impressive master suite. A hallway connects the kitchen to a half bathroom and laundry room, a home office with a wall of windows and a second wall of built-in shelves, and has access to the center-beam garage.

At the opposite end of the home, the master suite boasts an airy bedroom, a spa-like bathroom and an oversized walk-in closet. Decorative tile work, heated marble floors in neutral tones and skylights form the backdrop for a six-person hot tub, a jetted Jacuzzi soaking tub, a rainforest shower and a double vanity.

A second first-floor stairway leads from the master bedroom to the second floor, an amenity that prospective buyers with children will appreciate. Upstairs are four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms have full en suite bathrooms and walk-in closets and could easily work as additional master bedrooms. Other amenities on the second floor include a cedar closet, attic storage and a large game room in the space over the garage.

The basement has the potential to be finished as a playroom or another family room. The owner has already finished a portion of the lower level, turning an L-shaped space into a mirrored fitness center. Besides access from the living areas of the first floor, a second stairway connects the master bedroom to the gym.

The home, which was built in 1987, now has myriad upgrades and new features, including restored and newly-installed hardwood floors and carpeting, a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system that can be smartphone controlled, energy-efficient light fixtures and hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Located in a neighborhood of large, well-maintained homes, the area is both private and wooded yet close to amenities. “We are within walking distance of South Glastonbury Village,” Rio says, “and near Cotton Hollow Preserve, which has a swimming pool, hiking trails and deep-water pools. You can hike for miles and dive off the rocks.” The 80-acre woodlands is still home to the ruins of an 1814 cotton mill, which was among the grist mills, saw mills and other industrial structures that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries.

For more information on 103 Southpond Road or to schedule a tour, contact Amy Rio of Executive Real Estate at 860-916-6048.